


living so long with these pictures of you

by avapacifica



Series: October Writing Challenge 2020 [2]
Category: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Birthday, Birthday Presents, Corpses, F/M, First Meetings, Flowers, Fluff, Healthy Relationships, Jewelry, Necklaces
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:02:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26780047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avapacifica/pseuds/avapacifica
Summary: drayton mentions that vanita looks like grandma sawyer, it just so happens to be her birthday
Relationships: Vanita "Stretch" Brock/Leatherface | Bubba "Junior" Sawyer
Series: October Writing Challenge 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948126
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	living so long with these pictures of you

**Author's Note:**

> Day 2: Lookalike  
> title is from a The Cure song

“Bubba ever tell ya you look like our Grandma?” Drayton wasn’t one for talking to Stretch. At first he didn’t trust her, then he didn’t like her. They had a heart to heart about their care for his youngest brother, and have generally gotten along since, but there’s not many things to talk about between them.

“No, he hasn’t.” She finishes pouring her coffee, and sits down at the table with the older man. “He’s never taken me to see her.” Drayton waves away.

“Oh you wouldn’t be able to tell now. Hell, you never looked like she did in Bubba’s lifetime. There’s some old pictures though, yer a spitting image.” He sighs. “It’s her birthday today, only reason I bring it up.”

“Hm.” She can only hum in response. How does one respond to something like that? “Do you still have these pictures?” Drayton laughs, as if it’s clear.

“Naw, I gave them to Bubba a long time ago. Right after she passed really. They were in the albums for everyone, but he’d cry whenever she wasn’t there to tuck him in. Figured leaving her picture next to him was the second best thing.” It’s an amusing memory, until it’s not. “He still carries them around with him, if I remember correctly.”

“I’ve never asked him about her, I always figured it was a touchy subject.”

“Not at all.” Drayton shakes his head. “Bubba’s special, he doesn’t see her like we would. It would probably make his day if you brought up the occasion. Maybe bring her a gift. It don’t have to be nothing big, flowers or something along those lines.”

“Thanks Drayton.” She tells him, and she really and truly means it. “I will.” Giving her appreciation to him doesn’t do anything for the guilt in her stomach though. By completely avoiding the grandmother situation altogether she feels as if she’s done something wrong. Perhaps Bubba’s holding a secret grudge against her, for her being so apathetic to his loss, as if that wasn’t completely against his nature.

Flowers don't seem like a gift enough for all the time she’s been avoiding this. She goes into town to search for something, but nothing seems appropriate. Her search just ends up back at home, looking through her old belongings. 

Just when she feels she’s out of options, Stretch stumbles upon an old necklace. It brings back a faint memory and a smile to her face, as she doesn’t do much reminiscing anymore. She slips the jewelry in her pocket, and quickly goes outside to pick some flowers. Daisies are nearby, and they seem nice, so she grabs a few and heads back inside. It’s already five o’clock. Dinner should be ready in about twenty minutes, Drayton’s already started cooking. It seems a fair amount of time for Bubba to introduce her.

When she gets to their shared room though, it’s empty. Bubba follows a schedule that’s all over the place, but by the time it gets to early evening he’ll be relaxing in their room for sure. Stretch is certain he’s not outside. In fact, she had seen him enter the house earlier. He’s likely already in the attic she realizes, she hopes she isn’t too late. 

She climbs the stairs, the sounds they make unfamiliar to her. The top floor is the only one she hasn’t been on, and up until a few hours ago, she thought she’d never make the trip. It’s okay, just a little nerve wracking.

When she reaches the top there’s a small hallway that leads to a single door. She’s barely gotten her footing on the creaky floor when Chop-Top barges through the entryway. He looks very surprised to see her, as he shuts the door behind him.

“W-wasn’t expecting to see you up here, heheh.” Despite living with him for over a year now, Chop-Top still unsettles her. The bullshit he pulls now is mostly harmless. (And harmless is really just non-fatal, and he’ll get real close to that line.) Stretch trusts him to a certain degree, but still gets afraid in situations like this, enclosed hallways with a staircase to her back.

“Just here to wish your grandmother a happy birthday. Is Bubba inside?” She asks, peering around his shoulder. Anything to not make eye contact with him really. 

“I-Indeed he is.” Stretch nods and luckily, Chop doesn’t try anything funny. Keeping her eyes ahead of her, she’s able to get to the door without being tripped or teased or anything else he can think of to mess with her.

She knocks on the door, and inside Bubba gives her a noise to come in. Stretch opens and closes it as gently as she can, and is proud of herself for barely making any noise. Looking at his face, he’s surprised, as he was likely expecting Drayton. 

“Hey darling, I was wondering if you could introduce me to your grandma?” Bubba squeals, it’s his two favorite women! He’s so happy they’re finally meeting! He beckons her over, patting the seat next to him. It must’ve just been occupied by Chop-Top.

“Happy Birthday. It’s a pleasure to meet you, you did a mighty fine job helping raise your grandson.” She tells Grandma’s body, laying the flowers down next to her. Bubba has his hands tightly in his lap, fidgeting with his thumbs. Stretch looks up at him, confused. Is there something else she should be doing?

She slips her hand into one of his. That prompts him, and he lifts her hand, Grandma’s with his other, and connects the two. Now Stretch gets it, she clutches the bony fingers, holding gently so she doesn’t fall completely apart. Resting her head on Bubba’s shoulder, he’s a warm contrast to the thin layer of cold skin she’s in contact with. They stay like that for about ten minutes, Stretch fulfilled and Bubba delighted. 

“Oh! I almost forgot.” Something occurs to Stretch. She pulls the necklace out of her pocket, letting it dangle in front of Bubba’s eyes. “It’s a gift for her. It was in my family for a while, but I’ve never been a big jewelry kinda girl.” Bubba nods rapidly, lightly taking the necklace out of her hands. He puts it around his grandmother’s neck with care.

“It looks lovely on her.” Stretch remarks, and Bubba nods again. 

“Dinner’s ready!” Drayton’s voice sounds through the house from downstairs. Thin walls, Stretch thinks, as it sounds like he’s right there. Maybe that’s just how old houses like this are. Bubba pets his grandmother’s hair, and takes Stretch’s hand to lead her out. She doesn’t let go when they get out in the hallway.

“Could I see the pictures of her?” Stretch asks. “Drayton mentioned you had some.” Bubba carefully pulls something out of his jacket pocket, and she can barely believe they’re photographs. The one he hands her is completely weathered around the edges, and by edges it’s really the entire thing.

A man and a woman stand next to each other, she can only assume the guy is Grandpa. Drayton had been right though, their grandmother and herself definitely held some similarities. She returns the pictures, thanking Bubba for allowing her to see them. 

Stretch doesn’t see their resemblance as strange, or the reason her and Bubba are together. The way they met, and stayed together, it was all by circumstance. She does hope however, that she can provide the same comfort his grandmother had for him. If Stretch can fill Bubba with as much joy as she had, she’d consider that a job well done.

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are always appreciated, i hope you enjoyed!


End file.
